I am a Senior Political Contributor at Forbes and the official 'token lefty,' as the title of the page suggests. However, writing from the 'left of center' should not be confused with writing for the left as I often annoy progressives just as much as I upset conservative thinkers. In addition to the pages of Forbes.com, you can find me every Saturday morning on your TV arguing with my more conservative colleagues on "Forbes on Fox" on the Fox News Network and at various other times during the week serving as a liberal talking head on other Fox News and Fox Business Network shows. I also serve as a Democratic strategist with Mercury Public Affairs.

The Collapse Of American Liberalism Or The Re-Birth Of The 'New Democrats'?

The harsh difficulties engulfing the White House theses days has brought no shortage of notable theories regarding what the President’s pain will mean to the nation’s political future.

Leading the pack of prognosticators ready to divine meaning from the current circumstances plaguing the Administration is columnist and talking head Charles Krauthammer, who suggested earlier this week that the “collapse of American liberalism” might now be in sight.

“We have not just Obamacare unraveling, not just the Obama administration unraveling, not just the Democratic majority of the Senate [unraveling], but we could be looking at the collapse of American liberalism. Obamacare is the big thing for them. The biggest in a hundred years.”

Given that liberal and progressive ideology and philosophy has been a significant piece of the American political landscape long before the arrival of Obamacare—and will most certainly remain a part of the nation’s political make-up long after the healthcare law proves itself a success, a failure or something in-between—I suspect Krauthammer’s perspective may represent some measure of overstatement combined with a dash of wishful thinking.

However, an interesting element to the discussion has been put forward in a piece published by my conservative Forbes colleague, Tom Basile.

In his article, Tom analyzes the ‘real’ intent behind Bill Clinton’s suggestion that the Administration allow health insurers to continue selling policies that are non-compliant with Obamacare for an additional year and what it might all mean.

If Tom is correct in his analysis—and I very much recommend that readers take a look at his piece as his is a theory well worth considering—Basile could be the first to call attention to where we can expect the Democratic Party to go in the effort to hold the White House in 2016.

Basile writes—

“Clinton flexing his muscle is the first sign of a “new Democrat” strategy focused on 2016. MoveMove the Democratic Party back toward the center after eight years of President Obama. It’s important to remember that Clinton, for all his populist, progressive talk, isn’t cut from the same cloth as Obama. He’s not a steadfast liberal ideologue. “

Effectively, Tom has predicted the re-emergence of the “New Democrats” and, unlike Charles Krauthammer’s suggestion that the end of American liberalism is around the corner, Basile may have put his finger right on what we can expect from the Democrats in the years ahead.

For those who may not recall—or were simply not yet alive— the “New Democrat” ideology took root in the mid-80s, largely in response to the electoral successes of President Ronald Reagan. Democratic party leaders recognized that their policies had grown out of touch with an electorate who liked to identify as socially ‘liberal’ but economically ‘conservative’—an ideology that I believe continues to dominate the United States political landscape today—and decided to do something that would, once again, make the Democrats competitive and relevant.

While many would argue that the Obama agenda has never been as progressive as his detractors like to suggest, the “New Democrat” strategy, which formed the central philosophy of the William J. Clinton presidency, could very well re-emerge as the most effective electoral message to propel the Democrats forward into 2016.

The potential for a successful re-emergence could prove all the more likely should the Obama Administration fail to get back on track for the remainder of the second term—a challenge that has historically proven daunting for presidents experiencing the low approval ratings Obama is facing at this point in his presidency.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.